The Arcane University of Lorethos
by Zander Kol
Summary: Zander was once an ordinary college kid - but he doesn't remember that, anymore. After a very stressful day, his dreams take an unusual turn, and he finds himself stumbling through an unorthodox education at the Arcane University of Lorethos.
1. Ch 0-1: A Scholar's Touch

**Chapter One: A Scholar's Touch**

Today did not seem like a particularly pleasant day, at first. I had to write two essays the day before, get up early for testing and start running on four hours of sleep. _I've survived worse, I told myself..._ until it actually came to the calculus final. Sitting down, I scribbled my name, Zander Kol, onto the upper right-hand corner. Glancing at the paper, the numbers seemed to just swim through the air. I flipped the page with a sinking feeling. _Crap._ Nothing comprehensible. I flipped the page again. And again. Perhaps three of the nine pages I found doable - the rest might as well have been written in a foreign language. A combination of sleep deprivation and lack of study, it seemed, was destined to doom my grade, and there was nothing to do but settle in to what I knew was going to be a painful three hours.

Just as I finished brute forcing an alternate path through a problem, I heard time called. Papers shuffled and were passed forward, but my legs were already trudging towards the exit. _Sleep,_ I thought, _if I can just sleep, everything will be better._ It was a short walk, not even a half-mile, but it seemed an eternity before I made it to the door. A key turn and a click later, I was walking in and collapsing onto the nearby couch. _Next time. Next time, I'll do better._ And my vision faded to darkness.

My dreams were strange, then. Normally, my dreams are very precise: A goal, perhaps, strict rules, stringent challenges even if they were quite ludicrous in concept. I enjoyed my dreams, each one a tiny adventure, and usually, a tiny triumph before waking into the next day of drudgery. This time, though, my dreams were fantastic swirls of color, bewildering and abstract. I felt a pull of movement, so powerful that I worried for a moment that I would fall off my place nestled in the couch, and bring an abrupt end to my rest. But no such event occurred, and I continued on in this maelstrom, and just when I felt I was growing accustomed to its vibrancy, I woke.

Starting to drag my eyelids open, I muttered something about waking me up and groped for the couch back, trying to drag myself upright. When no such structure was found, I forced open my eyes, and soon grew confused. Before me was not a ceiling, nor my brother, disturbing my sleep, nor any other sight I expected. Instead, a brilliant blue sky stretched above, two bright suns illuminating the day. _Two?_ I sat up and blinked, trying to make sense of my surroundings, apparently some sort of meadow on the side of a dirt road. As I righted myself, a packet of paper fell off my chest, flopping face down on the grass. Turning it around, my mouth began to twitch upwards, a grin slowly making itself across my features. "Dungeons and Dragons", it said, "Character Sheet. Choose carefully, as once chosen, you will never get such an opportunity again. You have ten minutes." And with that, a quill popped into existence, and I was left contemplating.

 _Well then,_ I thought, _I suppose this isn't the worst dream I've had. Let's see..._ My core attributes, it seemed, had already been chosen for me, including height, weight, hair and eye color, as well as some flaws, features and other details. My name, age, and a fairly long backstory had also been scribed for me, including, amusingly enough, something about being a newcomer from a distant land. I set that aside, as I didn't have time in my precious ten minutes to read a three-page backstory. However, the class had been left blank, as had the feats, spells, skills and items. My grin becoming ludicrously wide, I began to wrack my brain for a build. _Focused Conjurer will fit that seventeen intelligence well. Hm, should I go for a metamagic focus build? No, too constricting. Fell Drain and Easy Metamagic will go a long way, though, and, what was it, Horizakaul's Cough? I wrote it down, but it immediately crossed itself out. Hm. Was it Horizikaul's? Ah, that works, though I can't ban Evocation... Hah! Of course I'm Inattentive. Well, I can live with that..._

...

Nine minutes and thirty seven seconds later, my sheet was complete, and a wizened, gravely voice pinged in my head. "Ten seconds to personality erasure. Nine..." _Okay, I'm done. Wait. What?!_ Stunned, I wasted a precious second comprehending what was just said, before scrambling wildly for ideas. An instant later, I fell upon the only one I could think of that a low-level wizard could attempt - Scholar's Touch,a spell normally to read books, this time to read my past. In a mad dash to maintain my identity, I scribbled everything I could think of on the paper - the words were hardly legible, because they didn't have to be, and I had no time for penmanship. "Eight, seven..." _Not fast enough… Wait!_ I scrambled to scrawl Prestidigitation onto my sheet, and shouted the arcane utterances to cast it. Instantly, paper began to color into words, all kinds of exploits of Dungeons and Dragons, all sorts of history, sheets and sheets generating themselves to accommodate my writing, fluttering into the air. "Six, five, four…" I ended the spell, scrawling Scholar's Touch onto my spell list, and began casting. _Please work. Please._ "Three, two, one…" My mind flooded with information as the spell took effect, and then… "Zero."

...

My eyes opened, and for one glorious moment, I was new. I was Zander Kol, Conjurer, traveling to the Arcane University to start education there. I was a minor noble from the town of Stonesong in Heartrock Valley, far to the south. The world made sense, and it was good.

Then, something hit me. My eyesight swam as a second life slammed itself into my brain, etching itself and a second personality into my mind. My name was still Zander Kol. I was still me. _What the hell..._ The world I lived in for all my life, a game. A world of strange technologies and bleak skies, my home. I shook my head. _How… why… what is this?_ I stumbled and fell to one knee. I was standing before. How did I just notice that? I spent a moment, reciting my exercises of concentration, though I never expected to need to defend my mind from myself. _Remember the six letters of the Nkatos Arcane alphabet. N. Soft. Birth. K. Hard. War. A. Open. Consuming._ I took a deep breath, and isolated these invasive memories. Already, I felt different, a different person from a different world. But I thrust these thoughts aside - I had a university to attend. Perhaps they could help me. Shakily, I stood, leaning on my staff. _Yes, I have a staff._ A staff with a gear, for casting Create Trap. How could I forget? Shuffling my feet, I began to slowly walk down the road towards the university. _Boccob help me._

...

The entrance to Lorethos, and functionally, the University within, was not particularly grand. A stone arch stretched over well-worn cobblestone road, moss creeping in from through the cracks, and nothing animate seemed to greet me. Reading an etching in runes directing new students to the welcoming office, I stumbled down the street. My head ached terribly, something I only noticed just now, but I could make it. I knocked on the door, and it swung gently open, a kindly-looking man waving me in. _An examiner,_ I thought, glancing at his dress-robe attire. Soon, I was seated before him, taking arcane diagnostics to affirm my identity.

"Well, Zander, your readings are fine. Excellent, even. I expect you to do perfectly well at the University. However…"

The examiner paused, and I took the opportunity to speak. "I'm not sure why, but about a half-mile from the city, I got the most splitting headache, and some… very strange knowledge flooded my head, of some sort of other world. Not a Plane of existence, but something else entirely. It felt like a Scholar's Touch, but on something huge, and foreign. And I don't remember casting Scholar's touch - I didn't even have a book other than my spell book with me."

"Hm. Well, you do seem to have some cracks in your memory, generally evidence of a shoddy mind-alteration. Did you have any knowledge of this? Drink any shady potions? Apply any unusual oils?"

"No, examiner. Not unless you count the healing salves from my town's cleric, though I never had side effects before."

"No, no, that should be fine. Well, I'd recommend seeing an Enchanter or Enchantress about it, see if they can help you. Perhaps a Diviner, since it felt like Scholar's Touch. Otherwise, your headache should fade soon, and you probably don't have to worry too much about it. We've had stranger happenings here, anyway. Do come back if problems persist or worsen."

"Yes, examiner. Thank you."

With that, I stood up and walked upstairs to my assigned dormitory. He was right, the headache was fading, though the strange thoughts persisted, seeming to change my views. I marveled at the strangest things - Animal messengers, despite using them for most of my life, the floating buildings and glowing crystals I'd seen at least a dozen times before. Even my traveler's clothes, simple cloth garments made for durability, seemed… fantastic. I shook my head again, and walked up the steps, knocking on the wooden door marked 204, and called in, "Newcomer, Conjurer!"

The door creaked open and a few faces met mine. One of them, a tough-looking, scarred man, wearing a chain shirt, bulky pants and not much else, spoke up in a low voice. "Ah, the Conjurer. Well, apparently you went and focused on Create Trap and Horizikaul's Cough for some reason, so we'll need to make up for battlefield control another way. Whatever. Come on, get something to eat. Our first 'field trip' is in less than an hour."

"Field trip?"

"Ah, you're a noble? Well, at least from the looks of it, you're not too soft. The University doesn't have time or teachers to cover all the mewling newbies that claw at their doors. There's a bit of a culling on the first trip, where you'll get to make some cash and clear out some monsters. Practical experience, they say. Luckily, muscle like me is cheap, so I'll be taking plenty of hits for you scholarly types. Now, like I said, eat up. You'll need the energy. What's your name?"

I blinked in surprise, then shrugged. _People might look down on Evocation, but a Fell Drain Horizikaul's Cough should off anything that threatens me._ Dropping off my bags, I took a look at the three other people that I would be rooming with. Smiling, I extended my hand. "Zander Kol. Technically a Conjurer, but mostly just good at finding loopholes, so I'll be casting Evocation and teleporting around more than anything until I get used to the harder spells." The warrior took my hand and shook it, hard, though he looked amused when I squeezed back. "I knew you had something in you. Gareth. Gareth Blackblade." Gareth pulled out a sheet of paper, squinting at the writing - judging by what I could see from the window-light shining through, a rooming list, of some sort. "We've got a Transmuter named Michael Banks doing some experiment in the back, and the sleeping fellow's an Enchanter, Tim something-or-another. Grub's over there." Sitting down, I picked up the remaining bowl of some sort of grey porridge, probably spell-created. Muttering a Prestidigitation, I flavored the sludge into something more palatable - more like the milk, honey and fruit porridge I made at home. Shoveling it into my mouth, I contemplated my options. _Hm. I could ask Tim about Enchantments and such if he makes it. Might help. Probably shouldn't wake him up, though.. Well, better than nothing?_ Finishing the "meal", I climbed onto my assigned bed and closed my eyes.

...

Not a moment after my vision faded to black, it reformed into something new - colorful, perhaps, but calming. With little experience in dreams, I didn't really know what to think - until the colors darkened and a huge, shadowy presence appeared behind me. Then, I fell in fear. Tried, at least, as there seemed to be neither floor nor walls, no structure or boundary to this dream. The shadows began to laugh, a deep, rumbling voice, and a huge spectral hand reached out, constricting me as a second hand jabbed my forehead with an outstretched finger. As my vision was obscured by shadow, my mind filled with agony, a spiked pressure like a vise around my skull. **You were so insistent on refusing my gift.** I squirmed and shoved, trying to escape the crushing grasp, but it did not yield. **Well then, meddler. Let us see if you do better than the last.** With a flick, I was thrown into the nether, spinning, spinning, spinning…

...

I sat up with a gasp, whirling around in fear. Gareth looked at me, bemused, then jabbed a rune on the wall with his sword _\- obsidian, magic probably, no wonder his surname is Blackblade -_ and the bed disappeared beneath me. The enchanter and I fell down, and I scrambled to my feet while he continued to snore. Gareth chuckled. "So, Zander, are you the kind of guy who gets nightmares?"

I shook my head, starting to wake up. Something was off. Something was missing. "Not until recently. Really strange, too."

"Well, whatever, you can deal with that on your own time. Let's go. Grab Michael, will you?" With that, Gareth smacked the Enchanter _\- Tim, his name is Tim, simple enough -_ and I trudged towards the back room, snagging my pack as I went. Before I could even knock, a wide-eyed wizard, almost stereotypical with his pointy hat and singed beard, flung open the door. "Yes, yes, I'm done! Get out of the way, would you?" He stopped, then gave me an appraising look. "Right, the Conjurer. Well, I'm Michael. Try to stay alive, will you?" Grabbing a leather bag from the floor, he started walking towards the door. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Gareth sighed and gave Tim a kick. "Wake him up, will you?" I grinned, and intoned, "Horizikaul's Cough!" A loud crack echoed from near Tim's ear, and he woke with a start, rubbing his ears. "You couldn't wait five minutes, could you? I was just getting to the best part!" Gareth sighed, waving Tim towards the door. "You said that last time. And the newbie could have popped your eardrums with that, so be grateful. Now git! We don't want to be late!"

Five minutes of shuffling through hallways, down stairwells and across streets later, we reached a building, identified with a steel plaque pronouncing "Quests". Within, all manner of stuffed monsters and grotesque trophies were mounted on the walls, as well as a variety of magical equipment, some with price labels, others in runed cases, marked "For Display". I had seen such things before, in museums and tourist attractions, but part of me - the foreign part, I had to remember - was amazed. I muttered obscenities and concentration exercises under my breath as we approached an elderly man, dressed in a mithral breastplate and robes, the overseer of the teleportation circles. "Group 131? Very good. Circle back comes in ten minutes - if you miss it, you're in for a twenty mile hike, so be sure you're punctual. Now, step in…" A flash of light later, and we were off.

The ringing sound and visual disorientation of teleportation _\- familiar, I told myself, I've done this before -_ soon faded, and we looked around to gain our bearings. Grassy hills stretched out before us, and mountains in the distance nearly towered over the twin suns. _Twin. Of course they're twin. They've always been twin._ I looked at Gareth, who had pulled out what looked like a map, and he cleared his throat. "Alright, so, we're clearing out some kobolds that have been giving farmers trouble recently. Should be fairly routine. Go in, smoke them out, blast some scales, leave. The warren opening is… hereabouts, so we should get moving." Hefting his obsidian greatsword, he started jogging in, and the rest of us followed.

Chopping away disguising vegetation from the entrance, Gareth sighed. "Right then. Looks like it'll be a squeeze. Remember, while kobolds are tricky buggers and they'll always make tunnels small if they can, some living spaces have to be big, so stick to those. From there, we can smoke them out - I brought some alchemical flasks for that. Throw it in, and then we get the heck out, and give them a smack down as they run. Ready?" Sheathing his sword and passing out the flasks, Gareth crawled in first, followed by Michael, Tim and me. As we delved into the earthy tunnel, Gareth whispered back to us. "Alright, crew. When I give a signal, we're getting near an opening. When that happens, get ready to run in and throw, alright?" We all nodded, and continued in.

Less than a minute later, Gareth waved his hand forward. "Get read-" A slab of stone slammed into the tunnel ahead, and a thud from behind us revealed that we were, in fact, utterly trapped. "Dammit, we weren't supposed to be assigned something like this! Get something to block or shoot through arrow slits!" Right on cue, thin gaps appeared on the sides of the tunnel, dirt crumbling away to reveal the carved stone under the surface. Crossbows, and their bolts, soon followed, and I cursed, rolling to dodge the flying missiles. A scream from in front of me told me that Michael had been hit, and my eyes narrowed, staring straight at an arrow slit, the crossbowman behind reloading. "Zander! If you can teleport in, run disruption! See if you can find a way to get us out!" _Alright. All you need is line of sight. Ready. Set._ With a jolt, I stepped through space and teleported behind the kobold crossbowman with a pop. Both he and I stumbled back, though the ample space gave me a chance to punt the small creature to the side. _Okay. Now,_ "Create Trap!" Holes appeared in the floor, and razor-sharp darts flew from them, perforating two kobolds _._ Panting, I rolled out of the way of the remaining two, who seemed to have reloaded, and ducked behind their allies' corpses for cover before muttering the incantation again. Ending the last two with a second fusilade of darts, I dashed towards what I figured was the way towards the tunnel mouth, anything that would likely hold the controls to free my allies. Ignoring the cries of pain from within the tunnel, I crashed through a thin wooden barrier and into a room. A room full of kobolds. "Shi-!"

A volley of bolts flew towards me as I used my second Abrupt Jaunt, teleporting out of the way. I quickly considered the odds. _Ten to one is not good on any day._ Spotting a lever next to a doorway, something that looked like it could open the tunnel, I prayed to Boccob that I could at least save my allies, and leapt upon it, toppling kobolds in the way. Yanking the lever down, I was rewarded by a satisfying *k-chunk!* - but on the wrong side. It had opened the doorway into this room. _Dammit!_ Cursing, I prepared to Abrupt Jaunt a final time, and blinked to the side as a volley of bolts pincushioned the kobold behind me, though one of the kobolds had wizened up and fired a bolt after my teleportation, nicking my ear and drawing blood. _That's not going to work again…_ I reached to my side, pulled down the second lever, and closed my eyes. Might as well take one out with me. "Fell Drain -" My voice cut off, my eyesight disappeared, replaced by shadows, the voice from my nightmare, echoing from my throat. _Wait, no-_ In a panic, I tried to cover my mouth, but something forced my movement, stretching my arm towards the kobolds. "Horizikaul's Cough!" The spell released from my palms and arced from kobold to kobold, striking each one and draining their life-energy, leaving eight lifeless husks. The remaining one stared at me in horror. I stared back. He ran.

Gareth rolled into the room, weapon ready, then halted as he saw the corpses littered across the room. "How…?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

Gareth's face hardened, and he waved me forward. "Well, we've got to finish the job, and Michael's not looking good over there. Toss your flask and let's get out of here." Muttering something unintelligible, Gareth flung two flasks of smoky solution deep into tunnels out of the room, greyish yellow clouds immediately rising from the shattered glass. I noted Tim's nearly anorexic build stumbling out of the tunnel and grabbed his flask, tossing it with mine. With a nod, we ran back to the tunnel and started hustling out, grabbing Michael as we went. Ducking through crumbling sod and avoiding the crossbow bolts that littered the floor, less than a minute later, we crawled out and into the glorious sun.

Outside the tunnel, Tim immediately scrambled to his feet and up a hill, then began retching into the grass. Gareth looked grimly at Michael's wound - a deep wound, and one that left the right side of his head covered in blood. "Alright, well, I shoved a stabilization potion in him earlier, but… this looks bad. Keep a lookout into the tunnels. I'll take care of this." Staring into the darkness, then my palms, I realized I was shaking. Gareth's eyes met mine. "Don't worry about it. Just keep watch." As he bandaged Michael, I listened. Hard. For a moment, I thought I caught something, but it soon disappeared. A moment more. The noxious clouds we created could be seen from down the tunnel, slowly spreading. A minute passed, and Gareth exhaled. "Okay, I think he's stable. Not bleeding so much, anyway, and he's breathing, so good enough until we get to the clerics. Now we wait." I leaned against the tunnel, taking deep breaths as Gareth put a hand on my shoulder. "Good. Calm. You're good. You're safe. We just have to sit for another few minutes, and we're back to the University." Gareth glanced back in, then looked back to me. "I think you got most of the outer ones already - those are the ones that tend to run out. What was that, anyway?"

I shuddered. "I don't know. I tried to cast Horizikaul's Cough with Fell Drain - you know, negative energy - and something came out and amplified it. I think it was the thing from my nightmares. I... " I looked at my hands. Something was off. "I'm not sure. From my studies, it could have been a Chain spell, but I can't cast that high of a spell level! I don't even know how to Chain spells!"

Gareth patted me on the back. "It's alright, sorry for asking. But you might want to talk to an examiner about it, get it checked out. It saved our butts, but it's probably a good idea to figure out exactly what it was. The bigwigs might want to replicate it."

Nodding, I took another deep breath, reciting another mnemonic device under my breath as I exhaled. "Alright. Did you check out Tim?"

He shook his head. "We should let him get it out - He doesn't seem to be the combat type of guy. I'll check on him in a bit, make sure he's fit to teleport."

I slumped to the ground, fumbling for a waterskin from my pack. Finding it, I took a long drink before looking back. "Alright." Seeing the look of mild concern on his face, I gave Gareth a hard, tired stare. "Look, I can handle blood and gore and death. I've seen it before, despite being a noble. It's just that ever since I came to the University, I've been having weird images pop up into my head of some other world, and then I seem to have been possessed by some sort of freaking malevolent spirit from my nightmares which I never have. It's been a rough day, alright?"

He just chuckled. "Alright. Just, like I said, get it checked out, yeah?"

I looked at my hands again. "Yeah."

…

A few minutes later, the circle reopened on the grassy hill, and we stumbled into the return lobby of the Quest hall. Michael was quickly picked up and brought to the hospital wing while Tim, Gareth and I made out way to the rewards area. _Rewards!_ Gareth laughed at our expressions. "You just remembered, huh? Well, don't get too excited. It's probably not more than a hundred gold pieces split among us, and don't forget, we have to pay for Michael's healing and that potion he used up." Walking up to the desk, Gareth said something to the runed device, and coins began to clink into a bag while me and Tim waited. A short while later, Gareth returned with a grin on his face. "Well, I lied! Grand total of four-fifty gold, which after expenses, is still around a hundred apiece! Pretty decent spending money, there." He handed the two of us smaller sacks of the gold, and winked. "Don't go spending it all at once, now. I'm getting a drink- I'll see you back at the dorm."

As Gareth left, Tim looked me in the eyes with a sort of sad smile. I looked back at him, concerned, and he gave a weak chuckle. "Y'know, Zander, we just met each other. But I'll tell you this. If that had gone the tiniest bit worse, someone would be dead. An inch to the left for Michael. A moment too late for you. Gareth barely deflected a bolt to his throat, though you didn't see it." He sighed. "I don't think I'm cut out for this. I don't care how good the University is, I can't live that close to death." And with that, Tim walked away.

I sighed and started walking as well. _I really should get... well, whatever that was, checked out. Hm, what was the way back..._ Meandering through the streets and following the miscellaneous rune-signs, I made my way back to the examiner. Before I could even knock, the door swung open, and the examiner called, "Zander? We've been waiting for you. Come in." _Well. That's either very good or very bad._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Well, that's one chapter! My first fanfiction here, but hopefully that's pretty decent.

If you're the type of person who likes knowing the stats of fanfiction characters, he's on Mythweavers. Fanfiction doesn't like links, so you'll need to go to Mythweavers and add /sheet(put a dot here)html#id=198925.


	2. Ch 2: A Divine Piñata

**Chapter Two: A Divine Piñata**

The examiner and another wizard, someone important, it seemed, with dragon scale highlights on his robes, sat behind the examiner's desk, and with a wave of a hand, a rather comfortable looking armchair appeared before them. "Take a seat, Zander." Obliging, I found myself relaxing instantly. Probably magic. Eh. "So. We already have a report of your quest today. We'd like to run some tests. Less... orthodox ones."

I nodded, my worries starting to return. "So, what's the test?"

The other wizard scratched his chin and looked through wiry spectacles at a sheet of paper. Meanwhile, the examiner asked, "Zander, what was your mother's name?"

What? "Andromeda, of cou-" _Wait. That's... That's not my memory. I can't remember my own?_ Panicking, I shook my head. "I... That's not right. I can't remember."

The examiner sighed. "I'm guessing the same of your father?"

I wracked my brain, but all I found were false memories. "How?"

"We don't know for certain. It looks like you have few memories of your own past, and much of the rest has been replaced. You have gaps, seemingly random, but looking closely, you have nothing but a few anchoring points from your current memory, and have most of the rest filled in." The other wizard cut in now, in a soft, deep voice. "We get students sometimes, with memory patterns like yours, but without the in-betweens. They tend to be the strongest wizards and have strong 'heroic' drive, and while testing generally shows no divine interaction, it is generally believed they are sent or created for a purpose. After your performance, our current theory with you is that you are one of those, but someone tried to maintain semblance of fullness via memory splicing. But, as is often the case with amateur memory modification, it was unsuccessful, and the anchoring points remained 'you'."

I just stared. "Excuse me, what? I'm some sort of divine piñata now?"

The wizard chuckled. "That's one way to put it. You'll be transferred to a program more fitting your situation. You'll want to pack your things and get... Here." With a quick sketch in the air, a map appeared in arcane lettering, and he prodded a few places. "Here is where we are, and here's where you're going. Good?"

I nodded weakly. "O-okay." Raising myself out of the chair, I turned to leave, but the examiner tapped his finger and said, "Oh, and Zander?"

I stopped. "Yes?"

"Sophia and Alten. Those are your parents names."

"Thank you, examiner." Leaning on my staff, I stumbled up the stairs towards my dorm.

...

Breathing heavily, I nearly collapsed on the door as I made it to my dorm. Leaning against the sturdy oak, I caught my breath and strained to organize my thoughts. _Am I more than human? Less? Both?_ Mind racing, I started to turn to open the door, and... the door was open. Windmilling my arms about, I almost fell, until Gareth put out a hand and steadied me. "Woah there. You look like crap. What the heck happened between the quest office and here?"

I gave a halfhearted grin. "Turns out, I'm a divine piñata. Anyway, why are you back? Weren't you out drinking?"

"Erm... right. Anyway, I was planning on it, but I got a message from one of the higher ups that I was supposed to come back and get an evaluation. Apparently, my 'intellect surpassed average expectations', so I'm getting some free learnin'. Here, it probably means more to you than me." He pulled out a sheet of parchment and handed it to me.

"Holy Boccob, your C-level is five? Most students start at one!"

"Yeah, I saw that. What the heck is a C-level?"

"It's a metric - a measurement of your power, I guess. A long time ago, someone figured out certain aspects of powerful people are tied together, and came up with a measurement for them. It's exponential, which means a C-five is actually twice as powerful as a C-three, and four times as powerful as a C-one. It's not perfect - it usually overvalues physical attributes - but that's pretty strong regardless."

"Huh. Cool. Well, your evaluation's over there too. How'd you do?"

"Well..." I walked past Gareth and over to the table, untying the string around the parchment. Unrolling it with slightly trembling hands, I skimmed the reading, and soon started grinning like mad. "Also C-five! We might even still share a dorm!" Jogging over, I compared the dorm assignments and laughed. "That's awesome. I guess I don't have to meet completely new people!"

Gareth chuckled. "Yeah, and I guess I'm stuck with you. At least you can teach me all this magic stuff, right?"

I nodded. "Of course, I've been studying magic since I was three." Or is it ten? Freakin- Y'know what, whatever. "You'll probably start off with basic magic theory, though the evaluation you got means actually casting the spells shouldn't be too hard."

"Well that's good, I guess. So, you wanna start heading over?"

"Yeah, sure. But jeez, C-five!"

"Yes, we're both very cool. Now get moving." Gareth gave me a light smack on the head, grinning.

...

"Man, all this luggage is actually pretty heavy when you have to lug it up stairs." I was trudging up the fourth and final staircase to our new dorm, beads of sweat starting to appear on my forehead.

"Yeah, well, you're doing better than most mages I've seen. Most of 'em can barely pick up a big spellbook." Gareth was leading the way, and doing better than me, though he was a bit out of breath as well. "Alright, we're here: Room 504. You know procedure better than me, so do the honors, will you?"

I nodded, then knocked and shouted in, "C-five, Fighter, C-five, Conjurer!"

Locks clicked and the door creaked open a crack, a face popping and taking a look at us. A feminine face, with a ponytail. _Huh._ The current resident smiled and opened the door, revealing an armored woman, a hefty mace hanging off her belt, with her hand outstretched. "Victoria Battleheart, combat cleric. Apparently you two are good at getting stuff done in combat, so I'm here to keep you alive."

Shaking her hand, I smiled back. "Zander Kol, Conjurer. And that's Gareth Blackblade, Fighter, though he's starting some arcane studies."

"Well, nice to meet you two. Here, let me get some of that…" Grabbing a bag from each of us and walking into the dorm, Victoria walked towards a corner of the room and started placing things down. I found myself continuing to smile as I walked in with her, setting my things down as well, though I was somewhat lost in thought. _How does she move like that with armor on all the time? Must be used to it… Is she going to be front-line? Probably, though I'm not sure if Gareth or her would go first. Hmm…_ Contemplating the tactics, I sat down in a wooden chair somewhere as Gareth and Victoria conversed. _I can probably manage third-rank spells if I'm C-five, so probably Stinking Cloud. Though I've already got Cloud of Bewilderment. Should I learn how to Shape spells?_ _Maybe learn some of those efficient-energy pathways I've heard about… Ugh, I'm going to be busy. Well, I should have kno-_ My thoughts were interrupted as I heard Gareth say "Zander", accompanied by a laugh from Victoria. "What was that? I heard my name."

Gareth smirked at me. "Just telling Victoria about your... condition."

I sighed. "Look, it was the first thing that came to my mind when I heard what was going on, okay?"

Gareth raised an eyebrow. "Actually, what is going on, specifically? All I got was that you were having nightmares, and that you were a piñata." Victoria laughed again, trying to stifle it with her palm.

"Well…" I briefly debated the merits of telling the currently oblivious pair, then shrugged. "Eh, it probably applies to you guys anyway. Gareth, what are your parents names?"

"William and-" Gareth opened his mouth, as if to answer, then closed it, looking half panicked, half confused. "What the-"

"Yeah. That. Apparently, not knowing one or both of your parents is a sign of being a sort of puppet sent by something, though they don't detect divine influence on us. So we have shells of memories, but not an actual full life." Victoria's face had gone from laughter to horror.

Gareth stumbled and fell into a chair. "What the hell, man?"

"Yeah. Now you know why I looked terrible."

Victoria ran a hand through her hair. "I… no. There has to be a logical explanation for this."

I gave a tired smile. "I'm sure there is, but either they're hiding something from us, or the best researchers at the University, and thus pretty much the best in the world, can't solve it. And you know what's the weirdest part is?"

The two stared at me, as if questioning my sanity. Gareth shook his head. "Weirder than that?"

I nodded. "Well, it's related. I have a mostly full life, but the filling-in isn't the same life as the anchoring points. Basically, it's as if I was a puppet, and then someone tried to fill in the gaps to make a real person, and messed up, leaving traces the examiners detected. Thus, divine piñata."

Gareth had his face in his palm. "Damn. Well, sorry for making fun of you for that… but Kord's blade, that's ridiculous! What in the hells?!"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Victoria took a deep breath, gripping a holy symbol that had been under her armor, secured with a steel necklace-chain around her neck. "Okay. You know what, whatever. I can deal with it. Let's take a look at our schedule."

I shrugged. "Sure. Sorry about… that."

She shook her head. "Just… let's not talk about it. I need time to process."

I just started walking towards the board that held our papers. "Yeah, okay."

 **…**

A few minutes later, we were busy trying to figure out our schedules, glad to have something to do. Victoria fiddled with her paper as she underlined classes with a pencil, talking at Gareth as he leaned back in his chair with closed eyes. "I'm taking an accelerated course to become a Mystic Theurge, but I'm just starting, so it looks like we've got some classes toge- Oh, would it kill you to pay attention for at least a minute?"

Gareth smirked. "Maybe! I don't think it's worth the risk to find out, do you?"

Victoria just threw a pencil at him. "Anyway… Zander, you're way ahead of both of us, but you can help, right?"

"Yeah, that works. I might be pretty busy, though - I still can't believe I skipped a C-level…"

"Really? That's pretty impressive! How'd you do that?"

I winced. "Uh… I'll tell you that story later." Gareth just chuckled, and continued to doze.

Sophia inadvertently ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, sure. So, what class do you have first?"

"Conjuration Metamagic 101 - not particularly interesting, but I'm probably going to test out of it anyway. Looks like it's not far from here, too, which is nice. Practical spellcasting's a little further down the road, but we should be able to walk together."

"Sounds good. I guess all the newbies get classes there?"

"Yeah, it's pretty standard. I expect you'll go to the second class right away though, since you said you were on an accelerated course?"

"Yep. Well, classes start for us in fifteen minutes, so do you guys want to do anything?"

"Jeez, they don't give anyone a break here. We should probably just get to classes, it's a ten minute walk to your building."

Victoria looked a little put out, but nodded. "Alright, that's probably a good idea. Gareth, you heard that right?"

Groaning, Gareth slowly got to his feet. "Man, I almost liked this place better when I was hired muscle. It's barely been an hour since we got back and we're already in class?"

I jabbed him with my staff. "Yeah, what did you expect? It's one of the best universities in the world, and you don't produce results like that without effort."

"Yeah, but… can't someone else do the whole effort thing?"

"No. Come on, let's get going."

Victoria just laughed.

 **…**

A few minutes later, we figured out where we were going, and without the arcane maps to pore over, conversation inevitably restarted with Victoria's questioning. "So, Zander, where are you from?"

"Little township a hundred miles south. My parents pretty much run the place."

Gareth scratched his chin and looked at me. "Actually, you never told me, what sort of noble are you? You handle yourself pretty well, and you've got a decent set of muscles. Wouldn't expect that of most softies."

I shrugged. "My parents were both battle mages, and got made minor nobles for their actions in combat. They made sure I was just as fit as them for fighting." _Wait. How do I know that, but not..._ I looked at Gareth and Victoria, but they didn't seem to notice anything wrong. Deciding to test things, I asked, "What about you two?"

Victoria spoke first, fiddling with her holy symbol. "This city, actually. My parents basically had the same job as me, keeping people alive on the battlefield, but I'm the first in our family to be accepted for Theurge training, so there's a bit of pressure." She laughed a little nervously and nudged Gareth. "So..."

"Yeah, I'm more ordinary than you two. Born in a little town, somewhere vaguely west of here, somewhere along the mountains. My family's always been traveling folk - every generation, the first son takes the family name somewhere new. It's something of a tradition, I guess. I wound up here since it had room and board, plus a bit of pay."

I tried to observe their reactions without staring, but luckily, they didn't seem to notice or react. In fact, it was almost as if they really had just forgotten about the whole situation. Spotting my approaching classroom as an escape so I could jot down notes, I pointed out the street number. "Well, this is my building, so I guess I'll see you guys later. We meet back up at sunset for 'dinner', right?"

"Well, actually, they give us somewhat real food, though we probably want to cook it into something more edible. But yeah, see you later!" Victoria smiled and waved goodbye as Gareth just chuckled and mumbled a farewell. After briefly waving back, I made my way to my classroom, pulling out a notebook from my pack as I placed a palm on the runed stone door. As it silently swung open, I peeked in, and seeing a few scattered students and the professor, I picked an aisle seat, sat down, and got to thinking. _Hm. From their reactions earlier, they're both like me, but hollow. But they don't seem to have as much of a grasp on the situation - almost like they forgot. It's probably my additional "filling", but…_

Searching my "foreign" memories for the first time, I let them rush through barriers I had built, allowing them to course through my brain, rapidly and systematically being marked and discarded or held. Hm. There's a lot of overlap here - some things are abbreviated or altered, like C-levels to levels, but a lot of this information… _Could we really be part of a story? Or a game? Perhaps something the gods play…_ Jotting down notes so that I could count the false memories as new, compartmentalized true ones, I wrote down as much data as I could, from the interactions between attributes and casting - strange how they can be cut down to six - to details on every "level appropriate" monster I might expect to face.

 **...**

At some point, more people filed in, and the teacher started lecturing, but I found that while this class was technically mandatory, I already knew nearly all of the information. That was fine - my plan was, after all, to test out of it and catch up with my C-level. By the time an arcane timer chimed and the class filed out an hour later, I had gotten down most of what I considered immediately relevant to my future, as well as some decent notes on a Shape Spell energy pathway that I found was interesting enough. Satisfied, I walked out of the empty room and into the hallways while paying just enough attention to not run into anyone, but then… something stepped into my way. A rather bulky, humanoid something. _What now…_ I halted just in time not to run into the new presence, carefully saying, "Hello…"

The bulky teen, a good three inches taller and probably fifty pounds heavier before his studded leather, grinned maliciously. "Hey. I heard you skipped a level."

I nodded slowly, mentally readying a Cloud of Bewilderment and taking out the material component from my pouch as he stepped towards me. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well. A certain someone didn't like the way you got off scot free in class because of that, while he got told off by the teacher. So he decided to… even things up." The thug pulled out a crude wooden club, smacking it into his palm.

I just sighed.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Yep, he leveled twice. His updated character sheet's ID is 199089.


	3. Ch 3: Bullying is Bad

**Chapter 3: Bullying is Bad**

"Seriously? And you're going to, what, beat me up for that? How much are you getting paid?" _Wait, I'm C-five. Do I have an Abrupt Jaunt…? Yeah, I do._ Preparing that as well, I casually looked over my shoulder. Two more students, thinner and dressed in robes, looked back.

"You're smart, aren't you?" He raised his club. "I wonder if you'll still be smart when-" Seeing the wizard behind me whispering the words for a Silence, I shouted "Cloud of Bewilderment!" as I Abrupt Jaunted forward, diving and rolling while the bruiser coughed and hacked in the noxious fumes. Scrambling to my feet and sprinting away, I heard the coughing suddenly cut off as the Silence took effect. _Well, that worked out._ Knowing that there'd be at least a few seconds before they could get their act together, I ran to the corner before slowing to a walk, trying my best to blend into the crowd. As the irregular footsteps behind me reached what I figured was about the corner, I risked a glance back. _Hah. Looks like he breathed in the cloud - shouldn't be able to run much for a bit._ Smirking at his coughing and confusion, I made my way towards Spell Tiers and Categorization.

Arriving early despite the short detour I took to ensure I wasn't followed, I was waved in by the instructor. "Zander, right? I was hoping you'd get here early - I'll get you started on the exit test early so you'll have time to start scribing higher level spells right away. Take a seat here, please..." _Well, I guess that's good?_ Making my way over, I obliged and waited as a few sheets of parchment - huh, fancy - floated over and placed themselves in a neat stack on the desk. "Go ahead and start - I doubt you'll need the full time but it's technically ninety minutes. It'll go where it needs to when you're done, and some general spellbooks will get to you. Alright, ready?" I nodded. "Start!"

Looking at the first page, I almost laughed at how easy the questions were."How many tiers of spells are there?" _Nine, obviously._

"What are the five elements of destruction?" _Fire, Ice, Acid, Electricity, Sonic._

I sped through two pages before even starting to think. After a bit, questions started getting more difficult, but I was fairly prepared. "Name and explain three ways a wizard who has no study in a school of magic can utilize magic of that type." _Universal spells, as they use raw arcane energy, the Spellpool, as it uses complete spells and transfers them mentally, and learning magic in an alternate fashion, such as becoming a Mystic Theurge._

Slowing down a bit, I started checking my work, and before long, other students started entering. About forty minutes into the class, I finished the test, and looked up. Immediately, it disappeared in a puff of blue light, and a thick tome replaced it with a soft thump. Looking around, nobody seemed to notice, but then, two pairs of eyes stuck out from the crowd. Malicious, hateful eyes. _Those guys again? I should get some combat spells ready…_

Looking through the table of contents of the spellbook and quickly flipping through pages, I soon found the first spell I needed. Taking a breath and focusing, I peered into my mind and reached upwards through the tiers of arcane layering within. Finding shiny, new openings, I withdrew, then grabbed a few spell components from my pouch and started the assorted arcane intonations needed to prepare Summon Monster III. Chanting under my breath, I placed a tiny leather bag and an equally small candle on the table, watching in satisfaction as arcane energies flowed in. Returning to thee mental storage, I held the prepared spell firmly in my mind and fitted it into one of the third-tier openings, rewarding me with a satisfying click as the spell integrated itself into the arcane matrix. _One down._ Glancing at the clock, I noted that five minutes had passed. _Okay, twenty-five minutes left._ Taking a deep breath, I returned the spell focus to my pouch.

Checking my spell slots, I noted that I had a first and second tier spell left, as well as two third level ones. _Probably won't get all of that done… I'll just get the important ones._ Flipping to Dimension Step, I focused and prepared that as well, going through the incantations and preparations to nearly complete each one before storing it - though these were slightly easier, as without a material component, only mental action was needed. Lastly, I took out a small package of skunk cabbage leaves, and the notes I took on Shape Spell, and using the energy-efficient paths described, prepared a Shaped Cloud of Bewilderment. _Huh. I just realized - this is functionally the same as a Shaped Nauseating Cloud, but a tier down… Might have found something to write about. Interesting._ Putting that information aside for now, I packed up just as I heard the chime to dismiss the class.

Looking with the corner of my eye, I saw the two malicious mages give me a second death glare. _Didn't expect to use this so early, but, whatever._ Pretending to be working, I discretely pulled out the bag and candle I had prepared earlier, and as the two left, I got up and started walking. Humming as softly as I could, I soon came across a point where it was magically silenced. _Trying to be smart, hm? Let's see, the source must be twenty feet from here..._ Muttering the finishing incantation, I felt the energy from my mind and from the spell focus coalesce into a tiny form - a Coure Eladrin. Pointing towards the door and mouthing "incorporeal", I walked into the Silence.

Immediately, the door was slammed shut behind me, and the two mages from earlier, plus two jet-black, smoldering wolves - _summoned fiendish wolves,_ I thought - attacked. Grinning, my new ally floated out of the ground, causing the wolves to bounce off the magic barrier surrounding the fae creature, a warding circle ten feet wide. Meanwhile, I dodged a bolt of fire before vaulting over the wolves and smashing my staff into the bridge of a mage's delicate nose, grinning as he dropped his spell components. Then, dashing out of the reach of the second mage, I touched the gear of my staff onto the ground and shouted, "Create Trap!"

Instantly, holes appeared in the ground and sharp darts stabbed into flesh, while the Coure fired off a pair of Magic Missiles, knocking the two wizards unconscious. _Okay. Now - oh crap, I forgot about the wolves._ The snarling Fiendish wolves, now having a target outside of protection, leapt at me… and promptly disappeared. I grinned, shouting, "Hah! Take that, short durations!" The Coure, now back to her faerie form, giggled and mock-saluted before disappearing as well. "Okay. Um. I think I should… Tell a teacher? Yeah, wouldn't want them to bleed out…" Opening the door and walking into the classroom, I called to the teacher. "Errr… I kind of just got attacked, but I dealt with it. There's… kind of a couple guys bleeding out over there. Do you think you could…?"

The teacher just sighed. "Yeah, I figured those guys would give you trouble. Glad you dealt with it though. Here, shove this down their throats…"

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that standard procedure around here for when someone attempts murder?"

He just shrugged. "It happens to kids like you. Usually you're the ones who come out on top, so we figure the near-death experience is punishment enough. The third potion's for you, by the way."

"Fair enough." I plucked the three floating vials of pinkish solution out of the air and walked back to the unconscious figures, pouring the liquid into their mouths. Soon, the wounds stopped bleeding, though they remained out cold. "Well, that was exciting. Now, next class…"

 **…**

A few less-than-interesting classes and a practical magic use test later, I was done for the day. Trudging back to the dorm, fairly exhausted, I collapsed into a chair. Soon after, Victoria walked in half-carry Gareth, looking somewhat bruised but victorious. "Well, you guys look like you had an exciting day. Did random thugs try to jump you, too?"

Gareth raised an just nodded, apparently too tired to talk. Victoria set him down and raised an eyebrow, but nodded as well. "Yeah, though it looks like you got out better than us. Still, you should see the other guys."

I chuckled and pulled out the unused healing potion from the teacher. "Here, I got this when I asked the teacher about the people I left bleeding out. If you want it."

Victoria hesitated, and then declined. "No, better save that when someone actually is bleeding out. Still, that would have been helpful... Maybe next time we should go to a teacher as well."

"Yeah, he was pretty helpful. Said that apparently, this is pretty normal for 'kids like you', so I guess they keep some minor healing potions around for that reason."

"Well, I'll be sure to ask. So, you any good at cooking?"

"Uh, not great, but I'm sure I can figure things out. Or, I could just flavor it with Prestidigitation..."

"Well, there should be some food on the counter over there, which is generally filling enough, but it doesn't really have any taste - probably made by spells. If you want to try to make something, there's some salt and oil and such in a cupboard, which might save you a few spells. Regardless, I'm going to go take my armor off."

Shrugging, I walked over to the "kitchen", which was really just a counter with a toggled magical flame, as Victoria went to the bathroom. _Huh. I guess she just wears it during the day._ Looking through the various ingredients there, I found a loaf of bread and a chunk of cheese. Shrugging, I looked into the cupboard, where I found a small container of oil and another of salt. _Eh, good enough. Let's see if I can work without Prestidigitation..._ Putting a pan on the fire, I sliced the bread and cheese, making a sandwich, then poured a small amount of oil on each side. Putting one on the pan, I let it sit for awhile as I got the next sandwich ready, then flipped it, smiling with some satisfaction that I managed to not burn anything. After another couple minutes, I slid the sandwich onto a plate and took a bite. _Not bad! Awesome!_ After making two more sandwiches, I brought the plates over to where Gareth appeared to still be sleeping, just as Victoria walked in, now unarmored and with her hair down. "Looks decent enough!" Sitting down, Victoria took a bite and grinned. "Better than I was making. Guess you're the new cook."

I chuckled, joking, "Dang it, if I knew competency would mean more work, I would have messed up! Oh well, missed opportunities."

Victoria laughed, though she still looked tired. "I guess you'll just have to suffer. Anyway, how were classes for you?"

"Boring enough, though I got to test out of most of them and catch up to my C-level in spells. People tried to 'teach me a lesson' for being smart, twice, though I got away the first time and ended up teaching the lesson the second. How about you?"

"Something like that. People were making fun of me and Gareth for being unintelligent, though at first I just told Gareth to ignore them. When they started casting things in the halls, though..."

"You let him beat them up?"

At this point, Gareth chuckled. "I started to, but they focused me and I got knocked out. Victoria took out the rest - they didn't seem to take her seriously until she started cracking skulls."

Victoria smiled. "You did fine. I had plenty of healing after that, so even after I spent some minor spells healing them it wasn't so bad. It was the second time that really hurt - they focused Gareth again, and I could only heal him so much."

Gareth grinned back. "She didn't waste anything on them that time. We did leave one of 'em conscious so he could bandage the rest, though. On that note, he was using this, which you might like, Zander..." A thin golden headband emerged from Gareth's bag, with a tiny sapphire embedded in the center.

"Oh man, is that a headband of Intellect? That guy must have been pretty rich!" I immediately put it on, and started grinning like a maniac as I felt the magic effects surge through my mind, like a sudden awareness of all manner of things. Suddenly a little guilty, I took it off. "I can't just take this, it's like two thousand gold pieces at market price..."

Gareth waved a hand tiredly. "You can use it better than either of us. I'm sure we'll find some nifty armor or weapons on some "Practical Experience" quest later that you won't have a clue how to use, so don't worry about it."

I hesitantly put it back on, then smiled. "Well, thank you. It's great."

Victoria smiled. "I'm glad you can use it. Of course, it's not entirely altruistic - Gareth wants your newfound intellect to help him with his work."

"Hey! You did too!"

I chuckled, nodding. "Ah, now it all makes sense. Well, I'd be rude not to, so let's see this work..."

 **...**

A couple hours later, after helping Gareth get started on his arcane pronunciation and Victoria with channeling arcane energy, I decided to sleep early to take advantage of my temporary lack of schoolwork. A few "Goodnight!"s and a few minutes of getting ready for bed later, I lay down, staring at the ceiling. _I wonder if I'll have nightmares again._ Hardening my gaze, I closed my eyes. _Bring it on._

 **...**

Again, soon after my vision faded, chaotic colors swirled into existence. _Oh, joy..._ Trying to turn around, I discovered that I was having difficulty actually moving, almost as if I was being levitated. _Hm. Let's try..._ Focusing my mind, I willed my body to turn, and... It did. Mentally cheering, I turned in a circle, surveying in all directions, until I found a shadowy blotch in the distance. Urging myself forward, I approached the shadows, getting closer and closer until it became a huge, humanoid shape. "Hey! Shadow guy!"

The shadows turned around, gazing at me with huge, glowing red eyes. **Meddler. You are here earlier than expected.**

I grinned. "I guess I'm just that good. So, did I pass?"

An appraising stare. **Yes. Perhaps you will do.** The shadows reached out with a hand, picking me up. **You are likely ready for the next step. Prepare yourself.** And, without further warning, his hand closed, and I felt my consciousness being drawn far, far, away...

 **...**

A brief eternity later, I landed with a thump on a sandy arena. Walls circled around the area, and four stone pillars, ten feet tall, formed a square within. Looking around, I saw only one other entity - another shadowy figure, but appropriately human-sized. I stood, grabbing my staff off the ground - _When did I get that?_ \- and faced what seemed to be an enemy. "So... are we fighting?"

 **"Yes."**

"Err, right. Is there like a signal to start?"

 **"No."**

"So... we just go at it?"

 **"Yes."**

"Are you waiting for me, or something?"

 **"No."**

"Well then..." Closing my eyes and searching my mind, I found... _Holy Boccob._ I found no tiers, no spell slots, nothing - just endless, endless energy. Grinning, I flew upwards, upwards, upwards... Once I started straining, I reached out, seized an amorphous blob of energy, and descended at breakneck pace. My eyes flew open and my hands crackled with energy as I blasted - _Wait, where'd he go?_ I looked around, the energy still charged at my fingertips. _Nowhere. Which means..._ Looking up, I saw a tiny blot in the sky. _Too easy._ With a snarl, I blasted straight upwards, a massive column of energy shooting into the heavens, obliterating the enemy. When the light cleared, my foe was nowhere to be found. "Well, that wasn't so bad."

As if in response, a second form flickered into existence. "Oh, is this like level two?"

 **"Yes."**

"Joy."

I charged up a second blast.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** While technically there's been some change to Zander's sheet, it's pretty much just him preparing the spells mentioned, so there's not much to change. Also, links to Zander's character are in my account now, since that's supported. Thanks for reading!


End file.
